Brief info
- Project: Amendment of the AACHEN*2030 land use plan - wind energy areas -
- Objective: To designate twelve areas, spread across five city districts of Aachen, as special zones earmarked for wind energy. This designation is combined with their simultaneous designation as acceleration zones.
- Size of the planned special areas: 324.5 ha in total
- Project Phase: Policy Consultations
Current
The public consultation meetings regarding the amendment to the AACHEN*2030 Land Use Plan—Wind Energy Zones—have taken place:
April 29, 2026: in the Brand and
Haaren district councils; May 6, 2026: in the
Aachen-Mitte district council; May 13, 2026: in the
Eilendorf district council; May 27, 2026: in the
Laurensberg District CouncilJune 10, 2026: in the Richterich and Kornelimünster/Walheim District Councils
In preparation for the political deliberations, the city administration invited the district representatives to on-site visits. Using mobile augmented reality (AR) technology, wind turbines were virtually superimposed onto the real environment in the areas designated for them. This allowed the district representatives to gain a realistic impression of the visual impact of the turbines. The land-use plan does not specify the exact positioning of wind turbines; that is a matter for the permitting process.
Coming soon
The Planning Committee of the City of Aachen has yet to discuss the matter. The committee will decide on the draft proposal for public participation.
Following the policy discussion, the next steps are as follows:
- Public and Government Participation Pursuant to Section 3(2) and Section 4(2) of the BauGB
- Evaluation of Participation and Assessment of the Need for Changes
- Preparation for the deliberations leading up to the Council's decision
- Approval and Publication
Explanations on planning
According to the preliminary draft from 2023, 19 areas, spread across six city districts of Aachen, were to be designated as special zones earmarked for wind energy. As part of the evaluation process and taking into account the comments submitted, these areas were subjected to an in-depth review. In this process, restrictions related to species protection, emission control, and infrastructure were reevaluated. As a result of this technical reassessment, a new draft identified 12 areas as eligible for consideration and viable under planning law. Based on the citywide analysis, these represent the locations with the fewest conflicts and, taking all concerns into account, the most suitable sites for wind energy use. Both the wind energy areas from the preliminary draft (2023) and the draft (2026) are available for viewing on the geodata portal.
View the preliminary draft map (2023) on the Geodata Portal
Go to the map of the draft (2026) on the Geodata Portal
As a result of this adjustment, the total area of the special zones designated for wind energy is reduced by approximately 97.3 ha. The planned special areas are designated as “rotor-extending-beyond areas,” which means that the center of the wind turbine’s mast must be located within the special area, but the rotor may extend beyond its boundaries.
Across the twelve sites, there is potential to install approximately 20 wind turbines, including repowering (9 turbines)—that is, replacing older wind turbines with new, more efficient ones. This will enable the objectives of the Integrated Climate Protection Plan to be achieved. With this number of turbines and an assumed capacity of 4.5 megawatts per turbine, approximately 225 gigawatt-hours of wind power could theoretically be generated based on about 2,500 full-load hours per year. This amount of electricity corresponds to approximately 22% of the city of Aachen’s total electricity demand in 2024. This would result in a reduction of Aachen’s greenhouse gas emissions by just under 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year.
A Review of the Proceedings to Date
Initial Phase (2019–2022)
April 4, 2019: The Planning Committee confirmed the political mandate to manage the expansion of wind energy and to exclude it from the revision of the AACHEN*2030 Land Use Plan. It was resolved to draft and make public the AACHEN*2030 Land Use Plan, including the supplementary wording of the planning objective “Management of Wind Energy.”
See document FB
61/1125/WP1719.12.2019: The Planning Committee resolves to develop a concept for the management of wind energy, with the objective of enabling the greatest possible and sustainable expansion of wind energy within the Aachen city limits. This is in line with the goals of climate protection and environmental protection and takes into account both “hard” and “soft” criteria.
See also document FB 61/1329/WP17 and document FB
61/1329/WP17-111.02.2020: Report to the Committee on Environment and
Climate. See also document FB
61/1380/WP17 dated August 20, 2020: The Planning Committee confirms the mandate issued to the administration in 2019 to “continue the management of wind energy with effects pursuant to Section 35(3), sentence 3 of the German Building Code (BauGB).” This explicitly reaffirmed the resolution to adopt the plan dated April 4, 2019, and the contents of the resolution dated December 19, 2019, along with the mandate to the administration to to map concentration areas pursuant to Section 35(3), sentence 3 of the BauGB in a “Partial Land Use Plan for Wind Energy.”
See the following documents: FB
61/1463/WP1708.06.2021: Progress report to the Committee on Environment and
Climate Protection; June 10, 2021: Progress report to the Planning Committee
; March 8, 2022: Discussion as part of the agenda motion submitted by the Green Party faction in the Aachen City Council in the Committee on Environment and
Climate Protection, March 10, 2022: Discussion as part of the agenda motion in the Planning Committee and the Committee on Environment and Climate
Protection; see document FB
61/0336/WP18 April 7, 2022: The Richterich District Council considered a motion by the SPD parliamentary group pursuant to Section 3(1), Sentence 2 of the Rules of Procedure (GeschO).
See document FB
61/0419/WP18. September 13, 2022: Oral report to the Committee on Environment and Climate Protection on the current status of ongoing legislative proceedings and the plan for the accelerated expansion of wind energy within Aachen’s municipal area
, September 22, 2022: Oral report to the Planning Committee and the Committee on Environment and Climate ProtectionProgram Consultation on the Preliminary Draft (2023)
Program planning meetings were held on the following dates:
February 9, 2023: in the Planning Committee
; March 8, 2023: in the district councils of Aachen-Mitte, Brand, Laurensberg, and Haaren
; March 29, 2023: in the
Richterich district council; April 19, 2023: in the
Eilendorf District Council; March 28, 2023: in the Committee on the Environment and Climate Protection (for information)
; March 29, 2023: in the Kornelimünster/Walheim District CouncilPublic and Government Participation Pursuant to Section 3(1) and Section 4(1) of the BauGB (2023)
The public participation process took place from May 15, 2023, to June 16, 2023. Approximately 90 residents attended the public hearing on May 22, 2023. In addition, residents had the opportunity to participate in consultation hours held from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at all six district offices. In the Richterich district, a citizens’ initiative called “BI Horbach” was also formed, which submitted its comments and feedback on the expansion of wind energy in a variety of ways. In the Haaren district, a petition supported the submitted statement.
A total of 172 positions were addressed through these statements. As a result, the comments led to a reassessment, adjustments to the land allocations, and the incorporation of the concerns raised into the explanatory statement or the environmental report.
At the same time, 65 government agencies and other public interest bodies were involved in the process. Thirty-seven institutions responded. Of these, 11 did not raise any concerns or suggestions.
As a result, the information regarding infrastructure lines, roads, individual projects, or specific aspects led to adjustments to the site boundaries, including the withdrawal of entire proposed areas such as SO W No. 11,12, 13, 15, and 16, or to the inclusion of important considerations for the further concrete site planning of wind turbines within the designated areas. The lower-level nature conservation authority has indicated the possibility of an exemption from the provisions of the currently legally binding 1988 Landscape Plan. An exemption clause for the wind energy areas depicted in the FNP will be proposed as part of the revision of the landscape plan.Participation of the District Government in the planning process pursuant to § 34 LPlG (2025)
In accordance with Section 34 of the State Planning Act (LPlG), the Cologne District Government was involved in this proceeding by letter dated April 30, 2025. In a letter dated June 3, 2025, the District Government stated that, from a state planning perspective, there were no fundamental objections to this matter.
Regarding the Einstein Telescope, the approving authority provided additional comments on the clarity of the planning regulations. Until the end of the FNP process, changes may still arise in connection with the Einstein Telescope; these will be reviewed and may, if necessary, lead to an amendment to the plan.
Positive feedback was also received regarding the legal plan and the listed mitigation measures, confirming the City of Aachen’s approach, so that the approving authority is also informed about the amendment to the FNP and the City of Aachen’s course of action.Review of the Environmental Report (2026)
The review of the environmental report was conducted as a separate part of the explanatory memorandum.
December 9, 2025 (postponed to February 3, 2026): Committee on the Environment and Climate Protection
. See document FB 36/0616/WP18 for more information.
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